


The Sacrifice Play

by Canuck_Lex



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Maybe a Fix-It, Time Travel, Who knows how they get out of this loop?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 11:42:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13480767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Canuck_Lex/pseuds/Canuck_Lex
Summary: With humanity running out of time, the SHIELD team has the monolith working, and are ready to go back to 2018.Well, almost all of them are ready. Daisy Johnson has other ideas.Whether her team agrees with her is a different matter.





	The Sacrifice Play

Melinda May cursed under her breath.  
  
Behind her, the open portal, ready to take them from this hell of a future back to 2018.  
  
Beside her, Phil Coulson, his empty arm sleeve swinging in the space between them. On her other side, the rest of the SHIELD team, ready to face whatever lay before them.  
  
Well, _almost_ all of the rest of the team.  
  
"I'm not going back."  
  
Daisy's outstretched arms tensed.  
  
"I told you to wait until we got back home to enable her powers!" Jemma hissed at Fitz.  
  
"It was a choice between that and being Roach food." Fitz glared back, not giving an inch.  
  
"Daisy, we don't have time for this, sweetheart." Coulson begged. "You don't know that you were responsible.”  
  
"I think there's pretty good evidence that I was. That footage..."  
  
"Doesn't show the whole story, lady." Deke came to her side. "I'm not saying that you weren’t, mind you. But like he said, we don't **know**. The best chance the human race has at survival now is you and the rest of your...insane...team going through that portal."  
  
"Tremors.." Mack started forward, then stopped as Daisy focused on him.  
  
"Any of you, take one move, and I'll push you back through the portal and shut it down." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I should've done it before, but...I wanted to say goodbye."  
  
"You don't have to do this, Daisy..." May started.  
  
"Yes, I do. If I don't go back, then I won't get off the Quinjet. And if I don't get off the jet, I won't do...whatever I did. This can end with me, don't you get it?"  
  
"No, it doesn't." Coulson swallowed. "We're a family. We're in this together."  
  
"You're right. We're a family. And I won't let any of you die for my sins. Not again. You won't take this death from me."  
  
Flint took a deep breath.  
  
"Whatever you guys are going to do, you need to do it soon. Coulson's power coil is going out. And the Lighthouse radar is showing ships approaching."  
  
"Kasius's daddy and his army. Sinara must have got to him." Deke frowned. "I thought we'd have more time."  
  
"I should have killed her back in the pit. Another of my mistakes." Daisy nodded to herself.  
  
"Mercy is never a mistake." May said quietly. "This is not on you."  
  
Deke put a hand on Daisy's arm. She shrugged it off. "There is nothing you can do here, Quake. Another human, Inhuman, it won't make a difference. They are coming to blow up the Lighthouse, blast the rest of the Earth to bits. We'll get Flint and the children off with Enoch on the Lady's ship. Her last chance to spite Kasius's family. But Earth is done."  
  
Coulson tried again. “Daisy..."  
  
"I love you, Coulson. You're the father I always wished I had growing up. And I love you, May, my soul mother. All of you, the brothers and sisters I should have had. It's why you have to let me do this."  
  
The SHIELD team began to feel a gentle but unstoppable force pushing them back towards the portal entrance.  
  
"Daisy, no!"  
  
May fought desperately to get though Daisy's wave. She looked at Coulson, and saw her anguish reflected in his eyes.  
  
All of a sudden, the wave stopped, causing the team to crash to the floor in front of Deke and Flint.  
  
Well, _almost_ everyone.  
  
"I told you, from the very beginning, you **ALL** talk too much."  
  
Yo-Yo tossed the metal bar beside Daisy's unconscious body.  
  
"Time to go. Turtle Man, if you would?"  
  
Mack shook his head, walked over, gave Flint a hug, then turned and picked Daisy up, wincing at the large lump at the back of her head.  
  
"She's going to have such a headache." he commented wryly.  
  
"Better than the alternative." Yo-Yo replied, hugging Flint, and, surprisingly, Deke, in turn.  
  
The three of them crossed the portal and vanished from sight.  
  
Jemma took a breath, and grabbed Fitz's hand.  
  
"See you on the other side, Sir." she said.  
  
The two scientists disappeared.  
  
The last four looked at each other.  
  
Coulson took each of the men’s hands.  
  
"Thank you. Both of you. For everything."  
  
Deke looked sheepish. "Almost everything."  
  
May rolled her eyes. Coulson chuckled a little.  
  
"Almost everything." he agreed.  
  
Deke looked at Coulson. "You know, you weren't what I expected a savior to be."

Coulson flushed and shrugged.  
  
"I didn't save anyone. The Earth is going to be destroyed. Humanity is about to be reduced to a handful of runaways."  
  
Deke shook his head. "You just haven't saved anyone **yet** , Coulson." He stepped back, and put a hand on Flint's shoulder. "We finished Dad and Virgil's mission. Go finish yours."  
  
Coulson smiled. "It was an honour having the two of you on my team. You would have made great Agents."  
  
Flint gave them a smile. "Time to go."  
  
Coulson turned. May reached for his hand, and he took it.  
  
"Time to save the world?" he asked.  
  
"Again?" she replied.  
  
Together, Coulson and May strode through the portal.

As it closed behind them, Flint closed his eyes.

* * *

Flint's eyes snapped open.

He lurched up off his pillow, and he closed his eyes against the vertigo that swept over him for a moment.  
  
"Sweetheart, are you OK?"  
  
He looked over at his bedroom door. His Mom stood there, sipping at her coffee.  
  
"Bad dream?"  
  
"Not sure."  
  
"Can you go back to sleep? Tomorrow is a big day at school."  
  
"Yeah. You and Dad gonna be there?"  
  
"We wouldn't miss it for the world. Love you."  
  
"Love you too."  
  
His Mom turned and left. Flint got a strange urge to look outside his portal window.  
  
Flipping the switch to retract the blinds, he stared out into the night sky at the Earth and the stars surrounding it.  
  
The big blue ball hung majestically in the darkness of space.  
  
He shrugged. Putting the blinds back up, he climbed back into bed.  
  
SHIELD Academy had a big game tomorrow. And he wanted to impress Director Deke Shaw.

**Author's Note:**

> So I was on Twitter at lunch reading Clark Gregg’s musings about whether Daisy would remain in the future. But as EW’s Natalie Abrams pointed out, its not whether Quake makes it home (because Coulson wouldn’t stand for that) but how.
> 
> And then I started tweeting about May ambushing Daisy, and we’d be good. Then I realized Daisy wasn’t that stupid. If she really wanted to do this, neither Coulson or May would have gotten the drop on her. 
> 
> So it would fall to the most pragmatic member of this team to clonk Daisy and get her back home. And I don’t think Yo-Yo would’ve batted an eye. ;)
> 
> Now if you want to see how it REALLY happens, plunk yourself down Friday night 9 PM ABC/CTV. We’ll save you a spot. :)


End file.
